UPDATE: I finally got through to someone at PA UC after using that Claimyr service (thanks for the recommendation). The agent confirmed the check is legitimate! Apparently, there was a statewide review of pandemic claims and they found that I should have received the additional $600 federal supplement for 2 weeks I was eligible but didn't get it, plus they recalculated my base year wages and found I qualified for a higher weekly benefit rate than I received. The agent said a notification letter was supposedly mailed 3 weeks ago explaining all this, but I never received it (typical PA UC). She's having another letter sent and noted in my file that the payment was confirmed legitimate. I'm depositing the check tomorrow! Thanks everyone for your help. If anyone else gets a surprise payment, definitely verify before cashing, but it might be legitimate backpay from this review they're doing.

Congratulations on getting it sorted out! This gives me hope that PA UC is actually trying to make things right from the pandemic chaos. I was laid off in May 2020 and always wondered if I got everything I was entitled to - the whole system was such a mess back then. For anyone else reading this thread, I'd recommend keeping an eye on your mailbox over the next few months. Sounds like they're working through these claims chronologically, so if you had unemployment during the pandemic, you might be getting a surprise too. And definitely use that Claimyr service if you need to call - trying to get through to PA UC the regular way is like winning the lottery! Thanks for sharing your update QuantumQuest - really helpful to know how this all played out.

btw has anybody else noticed their benefit payments taking longer to process in 2025? my last 2 weekly claims are still stuck as 'in progress' for like 10 days now

I had the exact same thing happen to me in January! Got 3 identical redetermination letters over 5 days and was so confused. Called PA UC (took forever to get through) and they confirmed it was just a printing error on their end. The rep told me that if all the letters show the same amounts and you agree with the calculation, you can just ignore them - no response needed. Only time you need to act is if you disagree with their wage/benefit calculation and want to appeal. Keep one copy for your records though, just in case you need it later. Their system really is a mess but at least in this case it's harmless!

Good news is that once the open issue is resolved, you'll get all back payments at once. Make sure you're completing your work search activities each week (applying to jobs, attending workshops, etc.) and documenting them. They can audit those records even after your payments start.

I'm in a similar situation - been waiting 6 weeks with an open issue and getting nowhere with the phone lines. Reading through these responses, it sounds like going to the office really isn't worth the drive since they can't actually help with claims anymore. I think I'm going to try the state representative route that Daniel mentioned - never thought of that before but it makes sense they might have better contacts. Also going to double-check my spam folder just in case. This whole system is so frustrating when you're behind on rent and bills! Keep us posted if you make any progress, Micah.

Update: The money showed up in my account this morning! So it took exactly one business day after the payment date shown on the UC portal. Thanks everyone for your help!

Glad to hear you got your payment! This is really helpful info for others waiting. I'm still in the review stage myself (week 3 now) but this gives me hope that once it's approved, the actual payment timing is pretty predictable. Did you have to do anything special during the review process or did it just eventually get approved on its own? My case has been radio silent for weeks.

Glad to hear you got your payment! I'm going through the exact same thing right now - switched to the Money Network card 6 days ago and still waiting for my first payment to show up. The UC dashboard says "payment issued" but my card balance is still zero. Reading through all these comments is really reassuring that this delay is normal for the first payment. Hopefully mine shows up in the next few days like yours did!

I'm in a similar boat right now - switched to the Money Network card about 5 days ago after having issues with my bank flagging the UC deposits as suspicious. My dashboard shows "payment issued" since last Wednesday but still showing $0 on the card balance. Reading everyone's experiences here is actually making me feel a lot better! Sounds like 7-10 business days is totally normal for that first payment. I was starting to worry something went wrong with the switch. Thanks for posting this question - clearly a lot of us go through this same stress when switching to the card!